House at the End of the Street
There are a couple of things that I couldn’t help but think while watching this psychological thriller. First thing: Elizabeth Shue and Jennifer Lawrence are inspired casting as a mother and daughter, and not just because of the obvious, physical reasons– both Oscar-nominated actresses form a strong bond together. The second thing, and the most pleasant one: this is actually a tense and surprising thriller. Yes, it falls back on some obvious plot twists, as well as the typical “girl in trouble” cliches, but it’s an interesting spin on the genre, and has some truly disturbing moments.
Oscar-nominee Lawrence stars as Elissa, a high schooler who has just moved from Chicago to a more rural, and tight-knit, setting with her mother, Sarah (Shue), who is trying to put her life together after years of addictions. It’s not all roses, however: while there’s a beautiful state park in their backyard, there’s also a dark secret in the house next door. Four years ago, a mother and father were brutally murdered by their mentally-disturbed daughter, Carrie Ann, who was never found. Now, the son in the family– Ryan (Max Thieriot) –is back in town, which troubles the locals for two reasons: the first is, of course, because of what happened; the second is because him, and the house and its history, bring the value of their property down. (Spoiler alert: This is kind of a shitty town.) But Elissa, herself a bit of an outcast, is drawn to Ryan; of course, you can probably guess where that leads.
The script by David Loucka (based on a story by Jonathan Mostow) is pretty pedestrian stuff for most of the film, even when it hints at things we don’t really see coming early on (at least, things we didn’t expect to find out until later in the film). But he and director Mark Tonderai have some really unnerving tricks up their sleeves, which work to the film’s advantage when Ryan and Elissa are in the titular house at the end of the film, and all of the cards are on the proverbial table. It’s twisted stuff, but it brings out the taut and terrifying (or terrified) best in Thieriot and Lawrence, respectively, who help us understand both sides of this unsettling game of cat-and-mouse. That said, there were plenty of times where I couldn’t help but think, “Come on, Katniss, you’re smarter than this?” Still, that’s part of the fun of a movie like this; ultimately, it’s a guilty pleasure.
